Glasgow Jazz Festival 2026 | Homegrown Showcase

Glasgow Jazz Festival 2026 Homegrown Showcase

Featuring Kai Reesu, GAÏA, Pippa Blundell & Sekoya

Doors: 5.45pm

Start: 6pm

Unreserved seating.

Kai Reesu are an emergent force on both the Scottish jazz and hiphop scenes. Blending Boom Bap and R’n’B instrumentals - inspired in no small part by legendary producers such as Madlib and J Dilla; along with polyrhythmic detail, odd time signatures, macabre jazz aesthetics and new wave electronic elements .

A melting pot of underground hip-hop and jazz; led by Paul Copeland on keys and centred around a core rhythm section with Matt Sim on drums and Robert McArthur on guitar and bass, they blend elements of psychedelia, grime and melancholic neo-classical piano into a foundation of old skool funk and progressive hip-hop, with thumping polyrhthms and rich horns.

GAÏA makes neo-soul straight from the source. She is a French singer-songwriter based in Glasgow, blending nu-jazz, R&B, and neo-soul. She began her artistic journey in Glasgow’s vibrant grassroots jazz scene-listening, learning, and developing her craft-eventually gaining recognition through local jam sessions and collaborations. Deeply influenced by Black music, GAÏA draws on her mixed heritage to create a genre-fluid sound rooted in soul, hip-hop, and R&B. Her songwriting explores identity, belonging, and self-expression, shaped by both personal experience and community.

Glasgow, Scotland is the gift that keeps on giving and Pippa Blundell is fast becoming one of its most captivating new voices. The rising singer-songwriter has already earned recognition from the Scottish Album of the Year Awards, Scottish Alternative Music awards and winner of the 2025 'rising star' in the Scottish Jazz Awards. Their album was hailed 2025 album of the Year on BBC Radio Scotland’s 'Roddy Hart' show and this year they were invited to perform with the BBC SSO as for their Burns night 2026.

Their music blends the intimacy of folk storytelling with ambient textures and a classical vocal edge, drawing comparisons to This Is the Kit and Jeff Buckley, with lyrics that navigate stillness, observation and life’s chaos.

Formed in Glasgow in late 2021, Sekoya is a contemporary jazz group whose music is rich yet simple with ever-flowing and evolving textures. They draw inspiration from a diverse range of musical influences, including European jazz, soul, minimal electronic, contemporary classical, folk, and Scottish trad. This unique blend of genres creates a genre-defying musical entanglement that is distinctly their own. The amalgamation of these three instrumentalists results in a singular sonic spirit, evoking a meditative, cinematic sound characterised by dynamic and interplay.

“A beautifully crafted piece of work.” - The Scotsman

“Sekoya's music is so lyrical, dynamic and exciting.” - Bebop Spoken Here

Simon Toner - Bass

Gavin Lamont - Drums

Luke Teikō Cunningham - Piano